Sheet registering device for printing presses



Feb. 1, 1938. L. R. JOHNSON 2,107,248

SHEET REGISTERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES I Filed May 2, 1936 I INVENTOR. Lawrence E. fo/zrzsorc ATTORNEYS,

Patented Feb. I, 1938 UNITED STATES SHEET REGISTERING DEVICE FOR PRINT- ING PRESSES Lawrence R. Johnson,

Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to The Chandler & Price Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 2,

'7 Claims.

This invention relates, as indicated, to sheet registering devices for printing presses. A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet receiving member for such a device which is adapted to register a wide range of paper stocks, without necessitating the adjustment of the elements of the member for each grade or weight of paper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a member of the character described, which will occupy as little of the eifective area of the platen as possible, and which is of minimum height.

A further object of the invention is to provide a member of the character described, having elements, which, although small in size, will function effectively to register sheets without cramping or pinching of the sheet between such elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide a member of the character described, which can be inexpensively manufactured but which is sufficiently rugged to withstand continued usage.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain devices embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, howin which the principle of the invention may be utilized.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one form of the sheet-receiving member; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the member shown in Fig. 1, showing a sheet engaged thereby; Fig. 3' is a top plan View of said member; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of sheet-receiving member; Fig. '7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view on line 1-! of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a transverse cross-sectional view on line 88 of Fig. 6; Fig. 9 is a top plan view of another modified form of sheet-receiving member; Fig. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a top plan view of still another modified form of sheet receiving member, and Fig. 12 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view on line |2-I2 of Fig. 11.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawing, there is disclosed a sheet-receiving member having the usual shank I in the form of a metal strip proever, but a few of the various mechanical forms 1936, Serial No. 77,536

vided with the usual slot 2 in its rear end and with laterally spaced tines 3 at its front end. Each of these tines, as Will be noted in Figs. 2 and 4, is beveled or smoothly rounded at its side edges and also at its front end, so as to facilitate sliding of the paper sheets onto the tines and at the same time obviate any possibility of such sheets becoming scratched or otherwise marred.

Secured to the upper surface of the shank l of the sheet receiving member, as by rivets 4, is a sheet engaging element 5 which extends centrally of the shank and is designed to cooperate with the tines 3 to grip a sheet of paper for registering purposes. The element 5 is made from a single length of relatively small gauge round spring wire and consists of a curved stop 6 at its rear end, a shank portion! which lies closely adjacent the shank l and extends through the rivets 4, a shoulder 8, an offset portion 9 parallel with the shank l and a curved finger l9 which terminates at its front end in a closed circular loop H. The curved finger H] extends downwardly into the space between the tines 3 and the loop H is disposed directly above the space between the front ends of the tines, the loop lying in an inclined plane.

The curved stop 6 and the shoulder 8 of the elements 5 cooperate with the rivets which they respectively engage to lock the element in position, and the fiat bearing of the stop 6 on the shank serves to prevent axial rotation of the wire element 5.

The construction and arrangement of the tines 3 and cooperating element 5 is such that a sheet of paper S presented to the member will easily ride up over the tines and be engaged between these tines and the curved finger H), in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2, the sheet being slightly bent or curved to an extent sufiicient to insure against displacement from the member during the registering movement. The sharp upward inclinaion of the loop II will insure proper reception of the sheet by the member, and the smooth surfaces of this loop and the curved fin ger II] will insure against scratching or marring of the sheet during such reception as well as during the registering movement. It will be further noted that ample spaces are provided between the wire finger l0 and the inner edges of the tines 3, so that the sheet, when received by the member, will not be bent or crimped to an excessive degree, as when employing registering devices embodying fiat spring clips or fingers. Furthermore, chattering of the sheet which takes place when a sheet-receiving member which height of the finger l0.

bends or crimps the sheet to too great an extentslips off the sheet, is avoided bytheemployment of a wire finger, as embodied in the present device.

The use of a wire finger is further advantageous in that it permits the width of the sheet-receiving member to be reduced to a minimum, as shown in the drawing. Due to this reduced width, the member will occupy but a small portion of the effective area of the platen and a relatively small movement of the member will swing it clear of the sheet, so that printed matter close to the edge of thesheet will not be injured. In this connection it will be noted that the tines 3 are confined within a space no wider than the width of the shank l of the sheet-receiving member, but it will be apparent that the use .of the wire finger will permit the distance between the tines 3 to be reduced .to an extent even greater than that shown, so that the tines will be confined within a space less than the width of the shank I.

Due to the high degree of resiliency of the spring finger, such finger does not need to be adjusted for different stocks, and such parts as screws, thumb-nuts, blocks, etc., which are found in other devices, are not required, except in rare cases, where the work of the printer varies from very thin paper to very thick board, in which event, an adjusting element, as shown in Figs. 6, '7, and 8 may be used. The construction of the device, moreover, is such that the overall'height of the device may be easily confined within the allowable limit of .140" which is-permitted for devices of this character, as employed in platen presses.

The use of a wire element further permits the initial cost of the sheet-receiving member and the cost ofreplacements to be reduced to a minimum, as wire is relatively inexpensive, and in the event of injury. to the wire element, it can be quickly and easily removed and replaced.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the wire element has an inherent upward tension and means are provided for adjusting the Such means consists of a screw l2 which is riveted to the shank I and is longitudinally slotted as at l3 to provide a passage for the shank I of the wireelement 5, and an adjusting nut l4, whereby the height of the finger I0 of said wire element may be varied to accommodate different thickneesses of paper stock. a

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the wire element 5 is permanently secured to the shank I, as by spot welding the wire to said shank at spaced points 15.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 11 and [12, the tines 3 are joined at their forward ends, the 'upper surface of the connection l6 being transversely curved in the same manner as the tines. By thus connecting the forward portions of the tines, the possibility of a sheet ontering below one of the tines and above the other is avoided.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A sheet-receiving member having a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally-extending tines, and an element cooperating with said tines to grip a sheetof paper, said element being formed fromwire and having, a portion in the form of a curved finger extending downwardly into the space between said tines.

2. A sheet-receiving member comprising a lower member having longitudinally extending transversely spaced, sheet-engaging portions, and means connecting the forward ends of said sheetengaging portions.

3. A sheet-receiving member comprising a lower member having longitudinally extending transversely spaced sheet-engaging portions and a wire element cooperating with said sheet-engag ing portions to grip a sheet of paper.

4. A sheet-receiving member comprising an element having longitudinally extending trans;

paper, said last-named element being formed from wire and having a forward portion in the form of a curved finger extending into the space between said transversely spaced sheet-engagin portions and terminating at its front end in a loop disposed adjacent the front endsof said sheet-engaging portions.

6. A sheet-receiving member comprising a lower member having longitudinally extending transversely spaced sheet-engaging portions, and, means connecting the forward ends of said sheet engaging portions, said means having a transversely curved upper surface.

'7. A sheet-receiving device comprising a lower member having a shank, longitudinally extend-;

ing transversely spaced sheet-engaging portions- LAWRENCE R. JOHNSON. 

